Information Management College - Case Study Example

1. Identify the challenges Lexmark faced regarding information flow. The information flow in Lexmark's old system was slow and inefficient. Spreadsheets had to be converted into reports for Lexmark to process. This meant additional manpower as well as additional processing time. At the same time, field reports could only be made through the intranet and entered manually into the database using its native language. This made entering data from sales representatives more difficult. All in all, the old system was so inefficient that information was not always up to date on the databanks thus resulting in possible discrepancies.2. How were information flows provided before and after implementation of the systemBefore the implementation of the new system, retailers had to submit data in the form of reports.

Field representatives used intranet access which effectively limited the coverage area. Analysts had limited access to sales data due to the difficulties in working with the database. Even then, the data may contain discrepancies and errors. For Lexmark, they had no means of responding quickly to the needs of the retail partners.On the other hand, the new system allows retailers, analysts, and sales representatives to easily access the system from remote locations. A centralized database linked with sales information from the retail partners allows almost real-time information management.

Tools integrated into the system allow analysts to monitor sales information and respond to the needs of the partners and customers. Information flow within this new system is almost seamless.3. Identify decisions supported by the new system.The new system allows Lexmark to make decisions quickly to respond to the needs of their partners. For one, the inventory tracking integrated into the system allows the company to quickly send out additional items to their retailers. Knowing the sales of particular products also gives the company information on the consumer aspect of sales and can adjust their production quantity and schedule accordingly.

In relation to retail partners, Lexmark can identify the top-selling ones and they may opt to provide certain incentives to further increase sales.4. How can the new system improve customer serviceThe new system improves the quality of service of Lexmark to its retail partners. With regards to inventories, partners may specify a specific restocking level at which Lexmark would send out additional inventories. This would cut losses on both ends due to stock outs. Anomalies in sales may also allow Lexmark to see if there is a problem with their products for a certain retail partner without needing any prior notification from the said partner.

Also, by choosing the quantity of items based on the demand for a specific retailer, Lexmark can further improve profitability for both itself and its partners.5. Go to microstrategy.com. Examine the capabilities of Retail BI System. Prepare a list of the capabilities.The Retail BI system allows its users to benefit from several automated analysis and notification tools. Among these, the following features are of note:Presentation of data summaries for managers using dashboards and scorecards.

Detailed reporting of production and operational reports.Viewing of invoices and statements.Easy creation of business reportsOLAP analysis for extended operation analysisPredictive and statistical analysis of data that allows users to thoroughly extract trends from the information stored in the system.Data segmentation and grouping.Automated alerts and proactive analysis which allows the system to respond quickly to the customers' needs.6. Go to sas.com and find the Retail Intelligence produced; take the interactive tour.

Compare it to MicroStrategy's product. Also, compare it to Oracle Retail (see oracle.com/applications/retail.html)SAS Retail Intelligence takes a similar approach to MicroStrategy's Retail BI. However, SAS is more detailed in that it divides the system into four main modules. Customer intelligence enables this package to extract information regarding its customers. This includes underlying factors such as demographics which may affect the performance of the retail partner. Also, market optimization tools are available in this module.

Merchandise intelligence focuses on optimizing revenue based on how well a product sells. The optimal production volume can be planned from this module of the software. Operations intelligence offers information regarding supplier relations, human resources, and other internal workings of the company. This also includes the financial information of the company outside that of sales. Finally, performance management allows the system to track finances through daily activities.Oracle's counterpart software package again offers similar features.

On top of business intelligence, Oracle includes several more important features. For one, supply chain management tools are included to help in planning orders from suppliers. A common feature in all three packages is the inclusion of profit optimization. Merchandise planning and operation management are also included similar to SAS which allows the company to properly plan the production schedule and inventories based on the demand from the customers. A unique aspect of this package is that it offers in-store applications which include point-of-sale systems.

This allows extended integration of the retail stores with the main system. However, Oracle's package does not have the extensive customer analysis tools present in SAS.Taking all these into consideration, each package is designed with slightly different goals in mind. As such, none of these are predominantly better than the other. The appropriate package is dependent on the demands of the organization.Bibliography:MicroStrategy, Inc. The 5 Styles of Business Intelligence. 2009. 13 November 2009 .

Oracle Corporation. Oracle Retail. 2009. 13 November 2009 .SAS Institute, Inc. SAS Solutions for Retail. 2009. 13 November 2009 .